Our earthly fire, when it burns it shines, it casts a light. It has light as well as heat in it. But the fire of hell burns but it does not shine, it gives no light at all. It retains
the property of burning but it has lost the property of shining. Christ calls it "outer darkness," or utter darkness that is, darkness beyond a darkness.
Light is a blessing that shall never shine into that infernal prison. In Jude verse 6, you read of "chains of darkness." It would be a little ease, a little comfort, to the damned in hell if they might have but light and liberty to walk up and down the infernal coasts; but this is too high a favor for them to enjoy; and therefore, they shall be shackled and fettered down in chains of darkness, and in blackness of darkness so that they may fully undergo the scorching's and burnings of divine wrath and fury forever and ever.
In Jude verse 13 you thus read, "To whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever." The words signify exceeding great darkness. Hell is a very dark and dismal region, and extreme are the miseries, horrors, and torments which are there. Sinners, when they are in hell, when they are in chains of darkness, when they
are in blackness of darkness they shall never more see light! Hell is a house without light!
Though our earthly fires have light as well as heat, yet the infernal fire has only heat to burn sinners; it has no light to refresh sinners; and this will be no small addition
to their torment.
[Thomas Brooks]
Colossians 1:13 ... Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Matthew 25:30 ... And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Luke 11:36 ... If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light. ❤
